Sheriff Rings In Christmas Spirit

Sheriff Rang Bell and Manned The Kettle

From 6-8 pm Friday, December 22, customers at Lowes Foods of Sanford at Spring Lane Galleria found Sheriff Tracy Carter sounding the bell for the needy during this Christmas season. As one of his community policing activities, he agreed to man the traditional bell and kettle for the local Salvation Army.

Over 200 Attend Open House

Annual Sheriff's Office Open House A Big Success

Only a small handful of the cornucopia of food and treats served up for members of the public can be seen in this picture of Sheriff Tracy Carter and David Spivey. Spivey was one of more than 200 people who turned out for the Lee County Sheriff Department's Christmas Open House. It took 10 tables to hold the goodies supplied by members of the department and their spouses.

Sheriff Tracy Carter said, "This is a blessed season in which we remember the greatest promise God ever made to man. It is our job to serve the public every day, and there was a special spirit of joy in our people coming together to serve our guests today."

Sheriff Recognizes County Jailers

"Hidden Force of Law Enforcement"
Given Awards.

Sgt. Wade Barker was one of the 25 staff members of the Lee County Jail to get certificates of appreciation from Sheriff Tracy Carter for their work in the county detention facility . The awards were a surprise presentation at an 8 am staff meeting. Noting that the jailers work behind thick walls, Sheriff Carter referred to them as the "hidden force of law enforcement" and a vital part of the Lee County Sheriff Office's team.

Sheriff Visits Bob The Bounty Hunter

Lee County Joins in Media Effort to Capture Fugitives

G105 has a morning segment called "Bob the Bounty Hunter" on Thursday's at 8:00. Local sheriffs come on the show and give names and information about suspects.

Today the sheriff was Lee County's own Tracy Carter. Listeners in communities have stepped up to call in tips about fugitives after hearing their descriptions on the show. Information about the fugitives is also posted on the show's website. This segment has been credited with helping law enforcement officials get information necessary for the capture of 64 local fugitives.

Show host Bob Dumas welcomed Sheriff Carter and noted that Lee County listeners had frequently requested to have their county included--a request now honored by the new sheriff in town.

"I plan to put this valuable law enforcement asset to work for Lee County on a continuous basis," Sheriff Carter said. Sheriffs from Wake, Johnston, Chatham, Durham, and Franklin counties are also currently participating in the program.

Second Crime Dog On The Scene

Buvi Has Crime-Fighting Partner On Sheriff's site.

McGruff the Crime Dog and pal, Scruff, bring ideas about kids staying safe through safety puzzles, games, and coloring pages that can be found at his web site . A link to McGruff's site is one of the resouces on the "Protecting Against Cime" page of the main Sheriff's website. Working for the National Crime Prevention Council, McGruff talks with kids about drugs, bullying, safety and the importance of staying in school.

Sheriff's Narcotics Unit Gets New Member

Buvi Now A County-Wide Resource

When Tracy Carter was Chief of the Lee County Schools Special Police, his agency became the only law enforcement agency in the county to have a K-9 officer with a highly trained drug dog. Now Buvi, a Belgian Malinois, is coming to work for now Sheriff Carter as part ot the Sheriff's Narcotics Unit. Buvi is teamed with David Prevatte, a school resouce officer, who is joining the county drug unit.

Under an agreement with the Lee County Board of Education, the Sheriff's Office will purchase Buvi for $1, and the Sheriff's Office will assist the schools with drug searches as needed.

"I am pleased to have Buvi back," said Sheriff Carter. "Now we can put him to work county-wide." The Sheriff added that Buvi would also be available to assist, if requested, by the Sanford and Broadway Police Departments. Trained drug dogs such as Buvi are especially helpful with drug interdiction--a priority of the Sheriff's Office.

Stronger Courtroom Security Measures

Inmates Wear Leg Restraints To Court

There was stronger security in courtrooms as Lee County District District Court opened following the swearing in of Sheriff Tracy Carter on Monday. Sheriff Carter ordered that inmates be placed in leg restraints when appearing before judges in pretrial proceedings. This change in policy practically eliminates the risk that inmates may flee the courtroom and significantly increases the ability of bailiffs to control them, according to Chief Bailiff James Davis. The practice is similar to that used in Superior Court and has been expanded to district court. Adding the restraints, which take less than two minutes to apply, impedes the mobility of inmates and makes them easier to be pushed to the floor in the event of threatening behavior. Most judges do not allow the use of leg restraints during jury trials as it is thought to have the potential to prejudice the jury. In most instances, cases in district court are disposed of through guilty pleas resulting from plea bargain arrangements so inmates will most always be restrained under the new procedures.

Sheriff Setting Pace For Community Policing

His first week in office Sheriff Tracy Carter participated in three community policing activities. The Sheriff has directed deputies to participate in at least two community policing activities each month. He led a four unit entry in the Sanford Christmas Parade on Monday and arranged for McGruff, the crime fighting dog, to ride with him on Saturday in the Broadway Christmas Parade.

A front page story in the Sanford Herald (11/9/2006) reported that the new Sheriff visited students in the third grade at J.R. Ingram Elementary School to help them wrap up their Kids Voting program. His main message to the students was one of persever­ance. He ran for sheriff in 2000 and lost by a slim margin, but went on to win a hotly contested race last November. He also fielded questions from the students. One of the students, Michael Carter, who is of no rela­tion to the sheriff, was assigned the sheriff’s race. After researching both Carter and Democratic candidate Kevin Bryant, he happened to run into the new sheriff at Pizza Inn and asked him if he would come speak to his class, a request to which Carter readily agreed.

The Sheriff said, "I realize there are not Christmas parades every week, but there are community events every day in Lee County. I want deputies to reach out and find out how to be involved. The community can play a role to by inviting our deputies to participate. Had it not been for Michael asking me, I would not have had the pleasure of visiting with the kids at J.R. Ingram Elementary or the privilege of supporting the Kids Voting project.

Groups or individuals who would like a deputy to participate in a community event can email Sheriff Carter with their suggestions

Get A Free Credit Report With No Strings Attached

Don't Fall Prey To Misleading Credit Report Sites

With identity theft an increasing problem, Federal law now requires that each of the nation's three major credit reporting agencies make available a copy of credit reports to each person once each year. AnnualCreditReport.com is authorized to fill orders for the free annual credit reports you are entitled to under law without the gimmicks associated with most sites offering supposedly "free" credit reports. You can find more resources about protecting your identity against theft on the LCSO's site.

New Sheriff Has New Web Site On Day One

Your Feedback Is Important

If you have found yourself here, it is probably because you have visited the new Lee County Sheriff Office's new web site. This "blogger" portion of the site enables the LCSO to quickly inform the citizens of Lee County of news and developments. You may want to bookmark this page and visit it often.

One important feature of this portion of the Sheriff's Office web site is that it will often provide the public and clients, such as county departments, the opportunity to make comments on developments in the LCSO including suggestions and requests. You are invited to use this comment feature to give us your feedback on the new site. You are also encouraged to let us know how you feel that this site can better serve you.

Sheriff-Elect Announces New Management Team

Sheriff-elect Tracy Carter introduced key members of his leadership team to members of the media tonight after three consecu­tive days of interviews with applicants. “I’m very proud of this leadership team we have,” Carter said. “We’re looking forward to working hard for the citizens of Lee County to make things safer.”

• Randall Butler, currently a detective with the Moore County Sheriff’s Office, was named as Chief Deputy. As chief deputy, Butler will be Carter’s second-in-command, directly supervising the captains of the detective division, the drug investigation division and the chief jailer.
  
• Carlton Lyles will be Major of Field Operations and will supervise all patrol deputies, civil deputies and bailiffs.
  
• Jeff Johnson, currently a detective with the Sanford Police Department, was named Detective Captain and will oversee the investigative division.
  
• John Holly will will oversee the five­ member drug enforcement unit as Captain of Drug Enforcement. Holly, who has been a lieutenant and assistant to the chief of police in Lillington for five years.
  
• Robert Worrell, who retired from the sheriff’s office in November 2005, will return as a Special Assis­tant to Carter and carry the rank of Sargent Major. Worrell, who was at one time Chief Deputy, will manage spe­cial projects.
  
• Kent Everett, who current­ly works for the Cumberland County Child Support Office, will be the Chief Jailer. A 10­ year-veteran of the U.S. Army, Everett has also been a police officer in Chapel Hill.

Sheriff Creates County Drug Unit

Cooperation With City Police Department to Continue

Keeping a promise that was a centerpiece of his campaign, Sheriff-Elect Carter has announced the creation of a county drug enforcement unit within the Sheriff's Office. On Monday, December 4, 2006, a drug enforcement unit within the Lee County Sheriff’s Office will exercise the authority of the Sheriff's Office for the enforcement of drug laws in Lee County. This will replace the joint city-county drug unit operated by the Sanford Police Department.

In a letter to Sanford Police Chief Ronnie Yarborough, Sheriff Carter said, “Since communication, coordination, and collaboration can take place in the absence of formal reporting relationships, there can and should be a continuing joint effort between the Sanford Police Department and the Sheriff’s Office to wage an effective fight against illegal drugs.”

“I am committed to full cooperation with you in making all of Lee County a safer, more secure environment”, Carter added.